Haviland has a combined two decades of experience at the NCAA, ECHL, AHL and NHL levels and most recently was head coach of the Hershey Bears in the AHL. He was an assistant for the Chicago Blackhawks from 2008-12.

Haviland, 46, replaces Scott Owens, who resigned in April after 15 years behind the Tigers bench.

Athletic director Ken Ralph said in a statement, "We have aspirations of winning national championships and I am confident we have found the right coach to turn our vision into reality."

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I don't have a crystal ball. Predicting is a real complicated thing. If we stay healthy, have enough depth and get the good goaltending we think we're going to have, you can go all the way. But a lot of things have to happen. There's going to be a lot of teams that think the same thing. Everyone made deals. We're all are optimistic about where we'll end up.

— Rangers general manager Glen Sather after being asked if he's constructed a team that can win the Stanley Cup before their 4-1 win against the Predators on Monday